Time to take back control...

[bucknasty]

Introducing myself took a few days, but here I am.  Although I was instantly drawn to NF when I came across the site It took me almost three months to finally join.  I suppose I finally gave up justifying my pathetic excuses for not taking care of myself both mentally and physically.  I have more than enough time to spend it productively and rather than wait for something to magically fix things I decided I needed to take back control of my life.

 

I'm a 40 year old has been, but I believe that can be corrected.  At one time I was athletic. I love telling people that I was a QB back in the day and seeing their expression.  Certainly humbling.  With a poor (I'm being kind) diet and lack of desire to do much of anything I've found the idea of small changes doable.  Sitting at a desk 9 hours a day has carried over to sitting on the couch all night too.

 

Since I joined the Academy I'm working on completing some small quests, hoping to gain some momentum.  My initial plan is to complete a Warm-Up and Cool Down 3-4 times a week for two or three weeks while completing some quests and then adding in the Recruit Workout for a few weeks.  Eventually I'd like to begin either with dumbbells or barbells.  Ultimately I'd like to drop 50-55 lbs., gain some strength and endurance, and gain back some much needed confidence and ambition that a QB has to have.

 

I'm currently on information overload and definitely feeling overwhelmed, but I'm slowly grasping things as I continue to read.  I'm using a spreadsheet to track everything (I function better when organized) and each morning I note a few things to accomplish during the day.  Looking for just a little more than the day before.

 

So, best wishes to everyone and I look forward to any advice specifically dealing with the insane amount of information!

[TingTing90]

Congrats on joining fellow newbie . You're not alone in needing to start small just so that you don't burn out all your enthusiasm in a week. Just keep coming onto the forums and reading posts to help with motivation (looks like the workout logs are a great tool as well)

[Ensi]

Welcome to the Rebellion!

 

As a fellow member of the Academy, I understand that the amount of information is overwhelming. You need to focus on small changes and follow one plan at a time.

 

 

Since I joined the Academy I'm working on completing some small quests, hoping to gain some momentum.  My initial plan is to complete a Warm-Up and Cool Down 3-4 times a week for two or three weeks while completing some quests and then adding in the Recruit Workout for a few weeks.  Eventually I'd like to begin either with dumbbells or barbells.  Ultimately I'd like to drop 50-55 lbs., gain some strength and endurance, and gain back some much needed confidence and ambition that a QB has to have.

 

This is all you need at the moment. Complete the warm-up and cool-down for two weeks, as you said, and then add in the Recruit workout. You don't need to think about anything else for now, and you can decide where you're going after you've completed the Recruit workout for a few weeks.

 

I felt anxious about all the options ("Barbells? Dumbbells? What do I pick?? Do I get a gym membership now or...??"), and I picked the Bodyweight Brigade since it's recommended for those in doubt in the "Pick Your Workout Path" article. I've been doing the bodyweight workouts and basically forgotten about the other options for now. Make small decisions and remember that you can always make changes and small adjustments. This is a life-long project, you don't need to get everything at once

[bucknasty]

Very much appreciate the positive comments!  Somehow even with all of the time spent reading I missed the Bodyweight Brigade.  After looking through it would seem to be the best approach when the time comes.  Excellent information I can already see how important and useful the forums are!  Rock on people! 

[Ensi]

There are so smart and positive people here that it's almost a force of nature

 

I'd recommend that you read only one, two or three articles of the Academy per day, until you no longer feel overwhelmed! Think of it as a new game you're playing. The controls are hard at first, but you'll get them in time Have fun!